Your repair responsibilities
Our repair contractors deal with a wide range of household repairs but some repairs may be your responsibility to fix.
To help we want to outline some of the main repairs that are your responsibility based on where you live. Full details can be found in your tenancy agreement.
Your responsibilities for General Repairs and Maintenance including:
- All decorations inside your home including repairing surface cracks and holes in walls and ceilings
- Making sure your double glazed windows and doors are regularly maintained, cleaned and oiled to keep them working properly
- Minor repairs to internal doors and frames including adjusting doors to close over carpets
- Repairing or replacing locks, latches, keys, handles, bolts and letter boxes, numbers, peep holes, security chains, knockers and bells
- Repairing and adjusting kitchen units, cupboards, drawers, doors, shelves and worktops
- Replacing broken tiles anywhere in your home
- Repairing and maintaining meter boxes
- Pest control to keep your home free of rats, mice and fleas
Your responsibilities for Plumbing and drainage including:
- Clearing blockages in sinks, baths and wastepipes
- Replacing washers on dripping taps and broken toilet seats
- Replacing the chain and plugs on sinks, baths and basins
- Replacing the grids over drains
- Clearing any blockages in external gullies (except in shared areas to flats)
- Clearing blocked toilets if you live in a house or bungalow
Your responsibilities for Electrics including:
- Changing plugs on electrical appliances
- Replacing fuses and resetting trip switches
- Replacing light bulbs and fluorescent tubes and starters
- Testing and cleaning your smoke alarm and replacing the batteries
Remember: If you require any other electrical work, this must be completed by a qualified electrical contractor who will issue a minor works certificate. DDC require a copy of the certificate and this should be sent by email to: housing.repairs@dover.gov.uk
Your responsibilities for Private Gardens including:
- Repairing footpaths, yards and patios that are not the main access to front or back doors
- Cleaning the frames of your double glazed doors and windows
- Repairing or replacing gates and fencing – but we will repair fences that border a public footpath
- Replacing clothes posts, pulleys and washing lines (except in designated shared drying areas)
- Keeping air bricks clear and clean
- Keeping your garden tidy by cutting the grass and trimming any hedges
Please remember:
- You are responsible for repairing or replacing damage your have caused to your home caused by neglect or misuse – even if the damage was accidental.
- If you want to carry out improvements to your home please contact us to get permission. This may include laying a patio in the garden, to putting in a new kitchen or knocking down a wall. For smaller DIY jobs like painting or decorating, putting up shelves – permission isn’t required.
You May also be interested in:
Fences in or around your garden or estate
Right to repair